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© Ronan O'Connell/Lonely Planet

Western Australia

Awarded Best in Travel 2023

About Best In Travel 2023

If the vast expanse of Western Australia (WA) was a separate nation, it would be the world's 10th-largest (bigger than Algeria, smaller than Kazakhstan). Most of WA's population clings to the coast, yet you can wander along a beach here without seeing another footprint, or be one of a few scattered campers stargazing in a national park.

There's something unfettered and alive about this place – a frontier spirit that's free from the baggage of east-coast concerns. This is also an ancient land and its Aboriginal cultures are more visibly present than in much of the rest of Australia.

The state's fertile southwest is a playground of white-sand coves, rampant wildflowers and lush forests abuzz with wildlife. Up north in the big-sky, red-dirt Pilbara and Kimberley you'll encounter gorgeous gorges and mesmerising waterfalls – and no one else for miles and miles. In between is 12,500km of truly spectacular coastline.

Explore Western Australia

  • Cable Beach

    WA's most famous landmark offers turquoise waters and beautiful white sand curving away to the sunset. Clothing is optional north of the rocks, while…

  • National Anzac Centre

    Opened for Albany's Anzac centenary commemorations in late 2014, this superb museum remembers the men and women who left by convoy from Albany to fight in…

  • Lucky Bay

    One of Australia's top beaches, Lucky Bay has sand so white and so fine that is squeaks underfoot like rubber. Good for kite- and windsurfing. Tame…

  • H

    Hancock Gorge

    The trail through Hancock Gorge is one of the shortest (400m, 80 minutes return) but also one of the most challenging in the park. A steep descent (partly…

  • Kings Park & Botanic Garden

    The 400-hectare, bush-filled expanse of Kings Park, smack in the city centre and enjoying epic views, is Perth's pride and joy. The Botanic Garden…

  • Fremantle Prison

    With its forbidding 5m-high walls, the old convict-era prison dominates Fremantle. Various daytime tours explore the jail's maximum-security past, give…

  • WA Shipwrecks Museum

    Located within an 1852 commissariat store, the Shipwrecks Museum is considered the finest display of maritime archaeology in the southern hemisphere. The…

  • Western Australian Museum – Maritime

    Significant West Australian boats are suspended from the rafters of this sail-shaped museum building. There's the yacht that won the America's Cup race in…

  • Art Gallery of Western Australia

    Founded in 1895, this excellent gallery houses the state's preeminent art collection as well as regular international exhibitions that, increasingly, have…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Western Australia.

  • See

    Cable Beach

    WA's most famous landmark offers turquoise waters and beautiful white sand curving away to the sunset. Clothing is optional north of the rocks, while…

  • See

    National Anzac Centre

    Opened for Albany's Anzac centenary commemorations in late 2014, this superb museum remembers the men and women who left by convoy from Albany to fight in…

  • See

    Lucky Bay

    One of Australia's top beaches, Lucky Bay has sand so white and so fine that is squeaks underfoot like rubber. Good for kite- and windsurfing. Tame…

  • See

    Hancock Gorge

    The trail through Hancock Gorge is one of the shortest (400m, 80 minutes return) but also one of the most challenging in the park. A steep descent (partly…

  • See

    Kings Park & Botanic Garden

    The 400-hectare, bush-filled expanse of Kings Park, smack in the city centre and enjoying epic views, is Perth's pride and joy. The Botanic Garden…

  • See

    Fremantle Prison

    With its forbidding 5m-high walls, the old convict-era prison dominates Fremantle. Various daytime tours explore the jail's maximum-security past, give…

  • See

    WA Shipwrecks Museum

    Located within an 1852 commissariat store, the Shipwrecks Museum is considered the finest display of maritime archaeology in the southern hemisphere. The…

  • See

    Western Australian Museum – Maritime

    Significant West Australian boats are suspended from the rafters of this sail-shaped museum building. There's the yacht that won the America's Cup race in…

  • See

    Art Gallery of Western Australia

    Founded in 1895, this excellent gallery houses the state's preeminent art collection as well as regular international exhibitions that, increasingly, have…

Featured videos

Margaret River Region: Wonderland of Western Australia

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Guidebooks

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